Electric iron and stand therefor



June 27, 1939. 0, WOL R 2.163,?04

ELECTRIC IRON AND STAND THEREFOR Filed NOV. 29, 1937 Patented June 21, 1939 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,103,104 ELECTRIC mos ssn STAND Tnsnnron cum 0. Ritz-Weller, Chicago, In. Application November 29, rear, sci-n1 No. 176,991 4 Claims. (Cl. 219-) 7 My invention relates to electric irons and stands therefor and particularly to the type of stand provided with means for feeding current to the iron thereon for heating the iron, and it has for its object the provision of a new and improved form and arrangement of this type-by reason of which the sparking when the iron is placed in position on the stand or is removed from the stand may be kept to a minimum as the circuit is is alternately made and broken. It is another object of my invention to provide an improved arrangement of parts by reason of which the danger of anyones receiving an electric shock due to accidental contact with the terminal contact its members of the stand is reduced to a minimum. For accomplishing this purpose and for otherwise improving the construction, it is one of the objects of my invention to provide an improved arrangement of closed chamber means within 0 which the sparkingis caused to takeplacesoas to smother the spark and also to protect the hands of the operator. I

A stand oi! this type has been provided heretofore, equipped with a fixture plug permanently 25 mounted in position at one end of the stand and having pins or other suitable contact members extending backwardly from its rear face for connection with the. usual appliance plug of an electric cord and having its front portion provided with contact members .in position to be engaged by the backwardly extending contact members of the iron in normal position on the stand. Itis one of the objects of my invention 7 to provide animproved form. and arrangement of connections between the backwardly projecting contact members and the contact members at the front portion of such a fixture plug.

It has been one of the objects of my invention to provide an improved arrangement in a plugofthistypeinwhichbothofthecontact members of the plug are adapted-to yield backwardly, one of said contact members being arranged to yield to the necessary extent for completing the circuit and the other contact mem 5 her at the opposite side of the plug being arranged to yield through a considerably greater distance to compensate for the yielding of said first mentioned contact member. It is one of the objects of my invention to provide an improved so arrangement of the contact members of the plug together with an improved arrangement of the contact members of' the iron whereby Iam assured that initial contact engagement when shall always occur at the sameaide of the plug-namely, at that side at which the circuit is not broken within the plug. 7

It is another object of my invention to provide an improved arrangement of yielding contact means through ,which the circuit is kept complete at all timesand in which the spring tending to hold the. contact parts in extended position with respect to each other is protected by insulation against the possibility of the current passing therethrough.

' It is another obiect of my invention to improve arrangements of this type in sundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several objects are illustrated in the drawing and are hereinafter specifically described. That which I believe to be new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side face view of a stand and an iron thereon equipped with my improved arrangement;

Flg.2isanenlarged detail viewoftherear portion of the iron and stand, with certain of the parts broken away and shown in section for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 3 is a. horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyatline 3-3 ofl'lgzz;

- Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on anenlargedscaleatthelinel-l ofFlg.2;

I "lg.5isaverticalsectionviewtakensubstantially at line H of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a side view of the contact member and spring arm device by which permanent connection is eifected through the plug at one side thereof.

Referring now to the several'flgures of the drawing, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference chnractem' ll indicates an electric iron of a type'tobe supported uponastand ll whichispositionednonnallyin slightly inclined position with respect to the table or other level surface upon which it is resting. AsisbestshowninFigs.2and3,the

iron II is provided at one end with contact members llandiiinsubstantiallyvertical position thereon, from which extend auxiliary contact members It and II in substantially horimental position. The contactsl! and I! are arranged so as-to receive'thereon the ordinary appliance plug of an electric cord for heating the iron. An alternative method-of heating the ironiscarriedoutthroughthemeofthecom' tactmembers I4 and II hereinafter described.

In the arrangement shown, my improved iron is provided with a housing It formed of sheet metal and open at itsrear face, a pivotally mounted hood member I! being provided adapted to closealternatively either the upper portion of the housing liasshowninl lgalandzorthelower part of the housing opposite the ends of the contacts l4 and i5.

At the rear end of the stand II, I have provided a bracket l8 rising from the stand and supporting at its 'upper end a plug member l8, such plug member in the arrangement shown comprising two body portions 28 and 2| formed of insulation material of any approved type. The body members 20 and 2| are hollowed out at their inner faces to provide two chambers 22 and 22 extending therethrough at the opposite sides of the plug. At the rear face of the plug I have provided contact members 24 and 25 which are mounted rigidly in position at their forward ends in the plug, with shank portions in the form of pins extending backwardly in parallel relation to each other so as to receive thereon the appliance plug 26 or an electric cord 21.

Within the chamber 22 of the plug I9, I have mounted a movable contact, member 28 in the form of a pin opposite the contact member 25, such pin 28 having mounted thereon a heavy sleeve 29 of insulating material serving as a sliding support for the pin. A coiled spring 20- is interposed between the insulation sleeve 28 and is such that the circuit through the plug I! from the contact member 28 is normally broken between the intermediate. contact heads 2| and 22.

but such that when pressure is applied backwardly upon the contact member 22 against the action of the spring 22'such pin 28 moves backwardly for completing the circuit through the plug. v

Within the chamber-22 oi the plug l8, Ihave provided a contact member 22in the form of a cylinder open at its rear end toward the inner end 7 of the contact member 24. -Within the cylinder 32, I have provided a block 24 of insulating material forming a seat for a'coiled spring 25 which bears at its opposite end against a portion of the contact member 24, serving thus normally to hold the cylinder 22 at the limit of its forward motion. Upon the rear end of the contact member 24, I have mounted a plurality oi. resilient arms 22 which have sliding engagement within the open end of the cylinder 22 so as to provide permanent electrical connection between the contact member 24 and the contact member 22 while at the same time permitting free and easy movement of the contact member 22 backwardly in the chamber with respect to said contact member 24.

As will be readily appreciated, by reason of the fact that the springs 28 and 28 are seated against blocks of insulating material at their forward ends the electric current passing through the plug I2 is kept away from said springs, being caused to pass at all times through the arms 22 in the one chamber and through the intermediate contact heads 3| and a: in the other chamber without any danger 01' said springs becoming heated by the passage of current therethrough.

As will be readily understood, the arrangement oithe parts within the chamber 22 as above described is such as to provide a make and break connection through the plug at that side, while the parts at the opposite side of the plug serve as a permanent yielding connection. rangement is such that when the contact member 28 is moved backwardly through a short distance the circuit is closed and continued backward 'movement of the contact 28 thereafter is prevented. The contact member 22 on the other hand is adapted to have backward movement through a considerable distance without afiecting the electrical connections at that side of the plug.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 3, the arrangement is such that when the iron is presented evenly to the plug IQ of the stand the contact member i4 is brought into engagement with the contact member 22 appreciably in advance of the engagement of the contact member ii of the iron with the movable contact member 28 oi the plug at the opposite side of the iron and stand. when the contact member 84 oithe iron is brought into engagement with the movable contact member 33 v of the plug, no spark is produced since the circuit through the plug at the opposite side is still open. No spark is produced either when the contact member i5 is brought into engagement with the movable contact member 28. Upon continued backward movement of the iron, however, the circuit is closed within the chamber 22 and all of the sparking brought about by the closing of the circuit takes place within such chamber. Upon the removal of the iron from the stand, all

' sparking which occurs again takes place within the chamber 22 since the spring 20 serves to open the circuit between the intermediate contact members 2! and 32 before the contact member [5 of V the iron is moved out of engagement with the movablecontact member 28. By reason of the fact that the intermediate contact members 26 and 22 are. formed of silver and of the fact that the chamber '22 is eflectively closed, so as to smother a spark therein, the sparking is kept to a minimum and the mere protected against pitting or other damage by reason of such spark By the provision of my improved contact member comprising the shank .24 and the resilient arms 28, and the association of such contact member unit with the cylindrical contact member 22 within whichthe resilient arms have sliding engagement, I amassured that a permanent yielding connection is at all times eiiected between the members 24 and 22 so as effectively to prevent sparking within such chamber. By this improved'arrangement, a connecting means of variable length is provided of such arrangement as to cooperate with the make and break connecting means in the chamber 22, these results being attained without the use of complicated mechanism likely to get out of order even in long continued use.

While I prefer to employ the form and arrangement of parts as shown in my drawing and as above described, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the arrangement shown except so far as it may be so limited by the claims, it being understood that changes might well be made in the form and arrangement of parts without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. In an arrangement oi' means for feeding current to an electric iron, the combination of v two contact members mounted on an iron in The arspaced relation each other and exten backwardly from the iron, and a cooperating plug mounted on a stand and comprising'a body of insulating material, two contact members'resiliently mounted at the front face of the plug in position for engagement by the contact memtending backwardiy from the body of the plug,

and means providing a make and break connection between the movably mounted contact member at the opposite side of the plug and the corresponding contact member extending backwardly from the body 01 the plug.

2. man arrangement of means for feeding current toan electric iron, the combination of two contact members mounted on an iron in spaced relation to each other and extending backwardly from the iron, and a cooperating plug mounted on a stand and comprising a body of insulating material, two contact members resiliently mounted at the front face 0! the plug in position for engagement by the contact members of the iron so as to be moved backwardly in said plug by the contacts on the iron when the iron is moved longitudinally or the stand into normally operative position thereon, two

other contact members carried by said body and extending from its rear face in spaced relation to each other for connection with the plug of a cord for feeding electric current to'an'iron on the stand, means providing a permanent elecsiliehtly mounted at theiront face oi the plug;

in position for engagement by the contact memtrical connection between the movably mounted contact member at one side of the plug and the corresponding one of the contact members extending backwardly from the body 0! the plug,

and means providing a maker-and break connectlon whereby themovably mounted contact member at the opposite side 0! the plug stands normally out of engagement with the corresponding contact member extending backwardly from p the body of the 'plug and whereby an elective electrical connection is established between said members when the movably moimted contact member is movedbackwardly to the limit of its motion.

3.1a an arrangement of means for feeding 'currentto an electric iron, the com of two members mounted on an iron in spaced relation to each other and extending backwardly from the iron, and a cooperating plug mounted on a stand and comprising a body or insulating material, two contact members rebersoitheironsoastobemovedbackwardiy insaidplug'bytbecontacts'ontheironwhn theironkmovedoi'thestand into normally operative position thereon, two .othercontactmemberscarriedbysaidbodyand extending Irom its rear face in'spaced relation to each other'tor cmncction with the plug of acord for feeding electric current to an iron on the stand, means providing a permanent electrical connection between the movably mounted contact member at one side of the plug and the cooneofthecontactmembersextendingbackwardlyfromthebodyotthephlg,

andmeansprovidingamakeandbrealrcom' nectlon between the movably mounted contact member at the opposite side of the plug and the corresponding contact member extending backwardly from the body of the plug, the arrangement of the contact members of the iron withrespecttothennrmalpositlonaotthemowably moimted contact members of the plug being suehthatwhentheironispres'entedevenlyto theplugonthestandinthemovementofthe ironintcnormaiposiflononthestandthecontact member having permanent electrical connectionsthroiuhthepiugisengagedbythe correspondingeontactme'mberontheironappreciahlyinadvanceofthe y-"$011116 contectmernberaattheoppcsite theiron andstand.

4.1nantotmeansforfeeding currenttoaneiectrlciromthenof twocontactmelnberamountedonanimnin silientlymountedattherrmtiaceottheplug in position for t by the contact membersoitheirmaoas-tobemvedbackwardly insaidplugbythecontaetsmtheirom'when theironismovedoftbestand intonormaliy operative"posiflon thereomtwo .iniectthecrlitlctai -5 tendingbackwardlytruntbebodyof theplug, andmeancpsovkiingamakeandbreakconcontact member'attheoppositealdeoftheplugand the contact member backnrdiyirmnthebodyotthepl zrthecon- 

